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COLUMN

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8 months ago

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COLUMN

So, where does one start to cover this story? Yes, it was indeed a most significant weather event, and here we are two weeks later and still reeling from the impact of the ice storm. From our human standpoint, the power loss, isolation, and crisis adaptation were challenging but recoverable; from nature’s viewpoint … “what the heck just happened?”

Although the weather prognosticators did give us fair warning that something big was about to happen, I and many others dismissed this as another ‘crying wolf’ situation … sure, a bit of freezing rain was heading our way but we’ve had that before, and other than a couple broken branches, so what? You can imagine my surprise when the world outside my window literally went crashing down in a most spectacular manner.

On Saturday, March 29 our power died mid-afternoon amidst a light freezing drizzle. By evening it was getting annoying that we had no running water or heat, so the old generator was dragged from the shed and fired up (a device that my late father-in-law had bought and installed decades ago, which at the time caused us to have ‘raised eyebrows’ as to the necessity of the purchase… “power always comes back on within an hour or two.”)

Overnight the rain continued and the odd sound of a snapping branch could be heard. By sunrise, that snapping sound had been replaced by a barrage of gunshots. A look out the bedroom window confirmed that the ice had accrued to a significant layer, and for some reason a tree limb was laying across the deck.

Quickly donning outdoor apparel, Julie and I met the neighbours already outside. The landscape was stunning display of crystal bedazzlement! However, despite the visual entertainment, what really caught our collective attention was the sound!

The continuous crack of breaking tree limbs was weird! Not the crack-whoosh-thud one hears in a wind storm, but a really loud, really sharp, POW! And not just now and then but rather continuous: POW, POW, POW, POW! I have spent a lot of time at the rifle range of a local gun club, and this was similar to being there but without the benefit of wearing ear defenders. 

We wandered out to the middle of the yard to better assess the situation and were spellbound by the ice world that surrounded us. Trees were down everywhere, and if it wasn’t down yet the bend of the trunk indicated that any minute now it would probably be joining the others.

Seven mature ash and maple lay across the laneway, an oak limb rested heavily on the roof, the tip of an ash tree tickled the side of our daughter’s car, and the country road in front of our place was reduced to a half lane. Hmm, methinks the hydro folks will be a tad longer than a few hours fixing this one.

With great care to stay in the open areas, Julie and I took a walk around the tree farm. Devastation everywhere! Every white birch and black cherry was de-limbed. The massive elm that is the signature tree of our nature trail lay spit in two. And the crowns of all the sugar maples looked like a giant weed whacker had attacked the bushy tops.

Sixteen years ago we had planted a mix of over 10,000 trees, and I was currently in the middle of a carefully thought-out management plan of pruning and thinning to maximize sunlight penetration to the forest floor and allowing ample growing space around the better formed trees. Ha! Nature does it best, again.

Of the 2,000 white pines, none had escaped some level of this natural pruning, with broken tops and wide branches littering every part of the ground. Close inspection revealed that most of the affected limbs were already weak or infected, while the stronger, healthier limbs remained intact.

The red oaks and black walnuts had been cleaned of dead upper branches, and other than a heavy lean they looked like they might recover well enough.

All the black cherries were severely damaged, some with their small trunks snapped in two like firewood kindling. Same with the white birches.

The almost 7,000 red pines had been planted in compartments with a wide lane between each section. Depending on their location, some compartments had little damage while others were a 100 per cent loss of downed trees. 

Surprisingly, none of the white or Norway spruces trees had any damage, their limbs being quite supple and could withstand the ice loading.

By relying on previous camping experiences and equipment, we got through the week. Our cars became warming centres and cellphone recharging stations. Two additional generators were acquired and thus ensured food safety for freezers and refrigerators. 

On Day 9 we got power back (the evening hot soaking bath never felt to so fine). As I write this we are pushing through Day 13 still without telephone land line or internet access. 

Each day of tree limb clearing brings us back to ‘normal’. If I can just remind myself that I’m no longer 35 years old and shouldn’t really be operating a chainsaw for three-hour shifts, maybe I’ll get to see how nature heals and rebounds from this truly awesome weather event!

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Woods, Ogunribido Named CCIW Women’s Indoor Track & Field Student-Athletes of the Week

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December 10, 2025

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NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) recognized a pair of strong performances from the first weekend of the indoor season by naming Elmhurst sophomore Carmela Woods and Illinois Wesleyan junior Imani Ogunribido as its Women’s Indoor Track and Field Student-Athletes of the Week.
 
Track: Carmela Woods, Elmhurst
Competing at the UW-Oshkosh Early Bird Invitational last Saturday, Woods won the 400 meters in a time of 57.87 seconds. The performance currently ranks first in the CCIW and fifth in Division III. Woods, a sophomore from Evergreen Park, Ill., also performed well in other sprints, finishing third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.90 seconds Her unconverted 60 meter time currently ranks sixth in the CCIW and 31st nationally.
 
Field: Imani Ogunribido, Illinois Wesleyan
Ogunribido, a junior, achieved a personal best in the triple jump at Friday’s Titan First Chance Meet in Bloomington. She cleared 12.53 meters, which also improved her own school record, and ranks her first in Division III by nearly half of a meter. The Hanover Park, Ill. native also competed in the long jump for the first time in her collegiate career, recording a mark of 5.60 meters – third in the league and seventh nationally.
 

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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.). 





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SIUE Earns OVC Team Sportsmanship Award for Volleyball

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14 minutes ago

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December 10, 2025

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• All-Time OVC Team Sportsmanship Award Winners

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – On Wednesday the Ohio Valley Conference announced that SIUE is the recipient of the 2025-26 Team Sportsmanship Awards for volleyball. 

 

Voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the Conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff, administrators and fans.

The 2025-26 school year marks the 21st year the team sportsmanship honors have been awarded.

It marks the fourth time in the last five years and the sixth time overall that the program has earned the honor.

Implemented in August 2005, the team honors are the most recent addition to an awards program that recognizes and celebrates sportsmanship within the Conference. In 1998, the league established the Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to a male or female student-athlete of junior or senior status who best exemplifies the characteristics of the late Morehead State student-athlete, coach and administrator. Five years later, the Conference added the OVC Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to the member institution selected by its peers to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA.

 

In 1995, the Ohio Valley Conference implemented a first-of-its-kind “Sportsmanship Statement,” a policy promoting principles of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one’s opponent.  The statement answered the challenge of the NCAA Presidents Commission to improve sportsmanship in collegiate athletics and has become a model for others to follow across the nation.









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Who Was Among This Week’s Faces in the Crowd?

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29 minutes ago

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December 10, 2025

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Each week during the academic year, the NE10 honors Athletes of the Week for all of its 24 sponsored sports while they are in season. Faces in the Crowd shines a spotlight on outstanding on-field performances that didn’t earn Athlete of the Week recognition, while also highlighting academic or community efforts from student-athletes across the league. 

Below are this week’s NE10 Faces in the Crowd.

 

Hope Fox

School: Southern Connecticut
Sport: Basketball

Fox made history for Southern Connecticut women’s basketball in their NE10 opener against Franklin Pierce. Fox recorded a career-best of nine steals, which is the second-most steals in a single-game in program history and the most since Kiana Steinauer had 10 against Stonehill in 2019. Additionally, Fox’s nine steals are the most recorded in a game in the NE10 this season and third-most in the NCAA.

Jodiann Ebanks

School: American International

Sport: Track & Field

A Campbell transfer, Ebanks was at the front of the sprints for AIC in the TRACK at new balance Early Bird Invitational.  She won the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash with her 25.42-second time in the 200-meter race being the fastest in the NE10 and throughout the East Region after the year’s first week of competition.

Ruzgar Christina Boyle

School: American International

Sport: Basketball

Boyle lost her mind this weekend against Pace, drilling six first quarter threes en route to nine total makes and a new AIC single-game record.  Boyle finish an insane 9-13 from behind the arc va the Setters for a career-high 27 points.  The nine makes are the second-most by a women’s basketball player in DII this winter.

Skyla Lang

School: Bentley

Sport: Swimming & Diving

Lang won three races at the WPI Gompei Invitational last week, most notably breaking her own school record in the 100 IM at 58.09, which is the fastest time in the NE10 this season.  Lang also won the 400 IM and the 100 Breaststroke. Her time in the 400 IM is the best in the NE10 so far (4:34.02).

Valerii Pidhoretskyy

School: Adelphi

Sport: Swimming & Diving

Valerii posted personal bests in every race he swam last week, breaking Adelphi records in the 50 Free, 100 Free, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Medley Relay.  He swam the fastest times in the NE10 this season in the 50 Free and the 200 Free Relay while posting the league’s second-best times in the 100 Free, 100 Fly, 200 IM, 400 Free Relay and 800 Free Relay. 

 

This Year’s Faces in the Crowd

Week 1

Anna Daggatt, Saint Michael’s Volleyball

Dillon Labonte, SNHU Cross Country

Jakkai Stith, AIC Football

Jenni Huttunen, Franklin Pierce Soccer

Taylor Leckey, SCSU Field Hockley

Week 2

Alice Bender, Pace Volleyball

Annie Lorenz, Bentley Field Hockey

Isabel Hughes and Claudia Keith, SNHU Soccer

Reese Swanson, Franklin Pierce Field Hockey

Connor Dietz, AIC Football

Jay Kastantin, Assumption Football

Week 3

Dillon Labonte, SNHU Cross Country

Elizjah Lewis, Pace Football

Grace Almeida, Saint Michael’s Volleyball

Lana Mignon De Wet, Adelphi Field Hockey

Paola Soto Burgos, AIC Volleyball

Week 4

Brennah Abilheira-Cargill, Assumption Volleyball

Kerrigan Habing, SCSU Volleyball

Drew Forkner, St. Anselm Football

Khais Milligan, Pace Soccer

Madeline Krepelka, Bentley Field Hockey

Week 5

Connor Dietz, AIC Football

Elizjah Lewis, Pace Football

Kaylise McClure, Mercy Field Hockey

Mackenzie Casey, Adelphi Volleyball

Michael Guarnieri, St. Anselm Football

Week 6

Andrew Surprenant, SNHU Men’s Golf

Isaiah Osgood, Bentley Football

Jessica Evans, Mercy Field Hockey

Sarah Henault, SCSU Volleyball

Sydney DeRoche, Bentley Women’s Soccer

Week 7

Faith Kosiba, Saint Michael’s Soccer

Grace Presswood, Assumption Volleyball

John Giller, SCSU Football

McKenzie Carey, Bentley Field Hockey

Ruby Harrington, Saint Michael’s Field Hockey

Week 8

Avery Frommer, Bentley Field Hockey

Billy Gould, Assumption Football

Kerrigan Habing, SCSU Volleyball

Maya Fisher, SCSU Cross Country

Quinlyn Moll, AIC Field Hockey

Week 9

Isaiah Decias, Bentley Football

Jessica Evans, Mercy Field Hockey

Milagros Zanatelli, AIC Field Hockey

Ryan Rosario, Franklin Pierce Women’s Soccer

Sasha Luzina, Bentley Volleyball

Week 10

Connor Smith, Assumption Football

Jake Croce, Saint Anselm Football

Madeline Chaapel, Adelphi Volleyball

Maggie Burchill, Saint Anselm Field Hockey

Riley Mastowski, Franklin Pierce Hockey

Week 11

Ana Carolina Westerich, Adelphi Volleyball

Dayshawn Walton, Adelphi Basketball

Taeya and Rheyna Steinauer, SCSU Basketball

Will Gomes, Franklin Pierce Football

Amelia Hohos, Saint Anselm Soccer

Week 12

Brady Gaudet, Franklin Pierce Soccer

Dom Santiago, Assumption Football

Elena Coban, Bentley Volleyball

Olivia Crespo, Franklin Pierce Soccer

Will Davies, Saint Anselm Basketball

Week 13

Alvaro Garcia, SNHU Soccer

Jojo Wallace, SNHU Basketball

Kaitlin McDonough, Saint Anselm Basketball

Margaret Montplaisir, Saint Michael’s Basketball

Zee McCown, Assumption Basketball

Week 14

Hope Fox, SCSU Basketball

Jodiann Ebanks, AIC Track and Field

Ruzgar Christina Boyle, AIC Basketball

Skyla Lang, Benltey Swimming

Valerii Pidhoretskyy, Adelphi Swimming

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season.  The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.



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Best IHSA players in Peoria area

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30 minutes ago

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December 10, 2025

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Dec. 10, 2025, 3:45 a.m. CT

Here are the 2025 Journal Star volleyball all-area honorees in alphabetical order, led by player of the year and separated by large-school players and small-school players.

Mia Lamberti, Limestone

Lamberti is the 2025 Journal Star player of the year, becoming the sixth repeat winner in the award’s 36-year history. She helped Class 3A top-ranked Limestone to a 34-3 record and a Mid-Illini Conference championship. The 6-foot junior setter/opposite hitter was named to four all-tournament teams this season, having over 1,000 career kills and assists. Lamberti, who committed to Illinois this past June, recorded 402 kills, 406 assists, 137 digs, 67 aces and 13 blocks. Her individual accolades include American Volleyball Coaches Association third-team all-American, AVCA all-region, Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association first-team all-state and all-Mid-Illini Conference first team.



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Sharp Tabbed All-Northwest Region First Team

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47 minutes ago

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December 10, 2025

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BOISE, Idaho – Redshirt freshman Eliza Sharp was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Northwest Region First Team on Tuesday, as the AVCA released its all-region honors for all of NCAA Division I.

The honor added to Sharp’s accolade-filled season with the Broncos. The middle blocker was also named Mountain West Freshman of the Year and All-Mountain West. Sharp is the first Bronco to earn all-region first team honors and the conference freshman of the year award in the same season.

Sharp was one of 14 players selected to the All-Northwest Region team and one of three middle blockers. She was also among four freshmen on the all-region squad.

Out of Burlingame, Calif., Sharp averaged 2.21 kills and 1.24 blocks in 113 sets played this past season. Her 250 kills and 140 total blocks were second-best on Boise State while she finished the year with 329.5 points.

She is 31st in the country in total blocks and 50th in blocks per set.



Sharp is the 10th Bronco to earn one of the 14 all-region first team selections in program history.

There were 213 student-athletes recognized across 10 regional teams by the AVCA this year. Each region had 14 first-team all-region honorees and a handful of honorable mentions.

Boise State finished the season 20-11 and reached the semifinals of the Mountain West Volleyball Championship.

 



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Cleaver, Dale, and Prince named AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans

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December 10, 2025

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HICKORY, N.C. – Averie Dale, Kayli Cleaver, and Hadley Prince have each been named to the AVCA Honorable Mention All-America Team. 

This marks the second consecutive All-America honor for Cleaver and Dale, while Prince is making her first appearance on the team. There have now been seven individuals in Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball history who have been named to an All-American team. 

Averie Dale tied the school record with a .399 hitting percentage this season, totaling 245 kills, 31 service aces, and 31 assists. She finished tied for first in the conference and first on the team with a total of 107 blocks, and added 82 digs. 

Kayli Cleaver was the Bears’ go to on the outside, leading the team with 363 kills on a .266 hitting percentage. She totaled double-digit kills in 20 of her 31 matches played and set a new career high with 23 kills in a four set victory at Newberry. 

Hadley Prince is this year’s South Atlantic Conference leader and ranks seventh all-time in Lenoir-Rhyne history with 547 digs. She had double-digit digs in every match this year and had a Lenoir-Rhyne career high of 32 on November 11th at Coker. Her 39 service aces led the team while her 115 assists were fourth. 

 





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